Hi!! I’m a first-timer so I apologize for the really picky-seeming question i have to ask about eternity bands on an engagement ring (or rather, I think, a ‘modified’ eternity band) and need the help of those of you who have been wearing your rings for a while! I love the eternity look but have been scared out of a full eternity based on resizing issues. However, the jeweler I have been working with said she can include a small “sizing bar” on the underside of the ring to allow for resizing in the future. To get the look I’m going for, she said she can put a 4mm gap between diamonds on the bottom, but it would only hallow for about 1/2 size up max in the future if it ever needs to be resized.

Based on y’all’s experiences, do you think 1/2 size is enough room for play for future weight gain, having kids, and all those other life events that could possibly cause fluctuations? -mostly worried about it being too tight when I get pregnant/after having kids (waaaay down the road ;))

The jeweler did present the 3/4 eternity as an option, but I just really want the diamonds to go just a bit further around. With my setting, I feel like it makes a big difference. I told you Im being picky. 🙂

anyway, what do y’all think? Should I be worried that 4mm of space won’t be enough for future sizing options? Or have most of you not ever even had to worry about resizing your rings? I really appreciate your input!!!

Thye problem is, when you size an eternity band, everything shifts. It is like we never really feel the earth move (except for earthquakes), yet our pictures slide and plaster walls crack.. so even just sizing half a size can actually cause stone loss, and you really cannot be sizing up and down for kids etc. I would get a full eternity a size to big and add sizing beads. Sizing beads can be taken out and put back in over and over without harming the integrity of you ring, and you would be able to have an extra size in case you gain weight etc.

My engagement ring band has side stones. When my husband bought it they had to bring it down about a half size. About 3 weeks later I lost a stone because like @jcent: said, everything shifts. Since my ering was still a little too big, I got sizing beads put in because I was too worried about losing another stone. My wedding band is a half eternity and needs to be resized (I am a 5.25 which isn’t a “standard” size, so most of my rings are 5.5). I will probably just get sizing beads in that too.

@Lecate: I definitely don’t think half a size is enough for babies, weight gain and what have you, depending on how your fingers swell, but definitely not with me. My finger changes a whole size to a size and a half just from cold to hot.

Also, as the girls said above, every time you resize a diamond band, you have to reset the diamonds otherwise they’re at risk of falling out, they’re no longer comfortably and securely sitting in the pockets they were set in. I would recommend going as far down as possible, but leaving a lot more than 4mm, possibly a centimetre? Resizing may cost you more if you ask for the diamonds to be reset, but it’s definitely worth doing otherwise you’ll be losing diamonds.

@jcent and @tentwelvethirteen …wow that is great information to know. i NEVER thought about that being an issue with resizing.

@baybeejulia thank you! I really had NO idea how much “give” a ring would need to have in terms of sizing, but based on that, 1/2 size is no longer sounding like a whole lot! 🙂

Based on everyone’s comments, i’m now thinking the best thing to do would be to order a size up and use sizing beads?

This is the ring i’m using as a template with a couple of minor changes (using a smaller diamond instead of the large pink gem as a center stone, for example), and i would really hate for the diamonds to fall out if it were ever needed to be resized! thank you all for your input!

I went for half eternity to allow to size slightly if need be but to be honest, I am so glad I did as the ring doesn’t get as dirty as a full eternity would (for me). I don’t take my rings off in public or at the gym etc so my band would get so grubby from hand lotion and stuff otherwise. I would also be more worried about loosing stones with a full eternity though I loove the look.

However when I get pregnant I would probably just get a cheap plain band to wear if I wasn’t able to wear my rings. It would most likely only be for the last trimester anyway when you gain the most weight and I wouldn’t size my rings for just a few months. I know my finger size doesn’t change much with weight gain/loss as I was only half a size bigger when I was 60 pounds heavier, and I really hope I won’t gain more than that being pregnant (iik!).

@MrsGo: wow, I’m so glad that I posted this question, these are all things I never would have considered otherwise…especially the full getting dirtier. Hmm… I have some things to consider now. I really appreciate your feedback!

It really depends on how much your fingers change in general – I have gained and lost a ton of weight, gone through 3 pregnancies and my fingers have never swollen to where I couldn’t wear my rings – my ring finger has been a 5 forever 🙂

That said I ordered my rings in a 5.5 because I hate tight rings and I have to worry more about them being too loose in cold but so far so good!

So since I knew that about my fingers I went full eternity – and previously I had a tacori ering that couldn’t be sized and I never had a problem, but then again I knew my fingers which helped! 🙂